Although he could at times be a bit of tough guy Tony had a number of friends from several different groups in high school and seemed to be at ease crossing the "cultural lines" that always seem to exist in school. We weren't great friends but we both liked cars and motorcycles and every now and then we would speak about them in passing. We had even talked about his Pontiac (I believe it was a Pontiac), in the hallway right in front of the office. I don't think he had owned that car for very long and he seemed happy with it. It was enjoyable talking to him about cars because he was knowledgable and when he was alone he was always ready to engage in some good conversation on the subject.
The day after his accident the word of his death went across the school in a matter of hours. It was really a wake up for most of us who had never experienced the passing of a peer.
I agree that Tony had the ability to engage in several social groups in junior high and high school. Tony was always nice to me. I still remember the photo in the year book that I was also in that shows a group around Tony in the student center.
I never ever heard the (exact details) of that terrible night of his fatal accident other than it occured at the well known dead mans curve on the 10 mile flats. I must admit I wandered for a long time what in the heck exactly happened?? I do recall getting to school that morning and the student center was a quiet as a church. Everyone speaking softly and in small groups.. It took awhile for things to smooth back out. I also agree as others wrote that his accident was a wake up call for others. Don't know if the wake up call lasted for others....but..hopefully it did.
Tony was a great guy. He was friendly with everyone he met. He really loved his friends~!!.
I was dating one of his best friends when he was killed. His friend was there at the crash site that night and I remember the phone starting to ring. People were telling me Tony was dead. I finally got a call from my boyfriend. He was so upset and dispondant at the same time. He came by my house and we sat and cried and held each other. We were seeing how life is fleeting, and there was no assurance that everyone in our lives would have a long one.
Tony had a special spirit. One that was never meant to grow old and boring. He was a shooting star. That night still remains vividly in my mind. The memory stays, the pain has never left me and I still Love Tony. And his best friend.
Tony was............................well he was a good guy, a great motorcycle rider, a bully, girls loved him, compassionate, sensitive, obstinate, an ass, arrogant, hungry at the dinner table, drank lots of beer, always had a dip, pretty good hand, laughed lots, cried some, broke hearts and got his broken. Tony loved Fandango, Tres Hombres, Viva Terlingua, deer hunting, his mom, gizzards dipped in the flour bin, a throaty V-8, to make you laugh, the way girls smelled, and going fast in cars. To me, he was my very good friend. As years have gone by, I have missed him so many times I can’t count em. I have never forgotten that terrible fatal night and how it affected so many young lives.
As we age to our fifties, I can’t help but think of the way things were then and how much they have changed. Leroy missed what the cars look like now, the great music that has been made since his passing, his friends with grandkids, a wife or wives, and Im sure he would have enjoyed the internet and all its possibilities. He also missed how his friends have progressed through life into professors, lawyers, officers, few doctors, farmers, heroin addicts, truck drivers, moms and dads and how our generation has traveled the world and taken so many different occupations. I wish he was here to share that with us.
His grave is not far from my house and I go several times a year to sit and wonder and put out flowers. Sometimes I feel like Forest talking to Jenny but somehow it always makes me feel better. Perhaps because even now, after over 35 years, I still remember him laughing and having fun and just being young.
I miss ya Ward, sorry you had to leave the party so early, it’s been a blast and you would have loved it. I'll see ya later, save me a spot.
Tony and I were really good friends .He had a sweet red F-100 or 150 pickup. He loved dipping snuff. He was an excellent motocross rider. He loved going to the other side of Highway 9 and Imhoff, which was a field with lots of opportunity for him to catch some "air". I remember him calling me from western Oklahoma, once, when he was doing a summer harvest job. He wanted me to come pick him up and bring him home, which I did. He loved my blue GTO. He wanted it so bad that he ended up buying a green one from a guy named Chris Green. Another friend of ours, as many of you will recall, was Mike McConnell. Mike drove a red Chevelle SS 396. Neither one of them could outrun mine! LOL! It was those two who went out to the flats to race that unforgettable day.Tony lost control and rolled his car. Mike ended up passing away some time back. I think of them both often and cherish the memories I have of my time with them.
Ted Heckerman
Although he could at times be a bit of tough guy Tony had a number of friends from several different groups in high school and seemed to be at ease crossing the "cultural lines" that always seem to exist in school. We weren't great friends but we both liked cars and motorcycles and every now and then we would speak about them in passing. We had even talked about his Pontiac (I believe it was a Pontiac), in the hallway right in front of the office. I don't think he had owned that car for very long and he seemed happy with it. It was enjoyable talking to him about cars because he was knowledgable and when he was alone he was always ready to engage in some good conversation on the subject.
The day after his accident the word of his death went across the school in a matter of hours. It was really a wake up for most of us who had never experienced the passing of a peer.
Steve Burleson
I agree that Tony had the ability to engage in several social groups in junior high and high school. Tony was always nice to me. I still remember the photo in the year book that I was also in that shows a group around Tony in the student center.
I never ever heard the (exact details) of that terrible night of his fatal accident other than it occured at the well known dead mans curve on the 10 mile flats. I must admit I wandered for a long time what in the heck exactly happened?? I do recall getting to school that morning and the student center was a quiet as a church. Everyone speaking softly and in small groups.. It took awhile for things to smooth back out. I also agree as others wrote that his accident was a wake up call for others. Don't know if the wake up call lasted for others....but..hopefully it did.
Cindy Ketner
Tony was a great guy. He was friendly with everyone he met. He really loved his friends~!!.
I was dating one of his best friends when he was killed. His friend was there at the crash site that night and I remember the phone starting to ring. People were telling me Tony was dead. I finally got a call from my boyfriend. He was so upset and dispondant at the same time. He came by my house and we sat and cried and held each other. We were seeing how life is fleeting, and there was no assurance that everyone in our lives would have a long one.
Tony had a special spirit. One that was never meant to grow old and boring. He was a shooting star. That night still remains vividly in my mind. The memory stays, the pain has never left me and I still Love Tony. And his best friend.
Rest in Peace Tony
Kirk Wettengel
Tony was............................well he was a good guy, a great motorcycle rider, a bully, girls loved him, compassionate, sensitive, obstinate, an ass, arrogant, hungry at the dinner table, drank lots of beer, always had a dip, pretty good hand, laughed lots, cried some, broke hearts and got his broken. Tony loved Fandango, Tres Hombres, Viva Terlingua, deer hunting, his mom, gizzards dipped in the flour bin, a throaty V-8, to make you laugh, the way girls smelled, and going fast in cars. To me, he was my very good friend. As years have gone by, I have missed him so many times I can’t count em. I have never forgotten that terrible fatal night and how it affected so many young lives.
As we age to our fifties, I can’t help but think of the way things were then and how much they have changed. Leroy missed what the cars look like now, the great music that has been made since his passing, his friends with grandkids, a wife or wives, and Im sure he would have enjoyed the internet and all its possibilities. He also missed how his friends have progressed through life into professors, lawyers, officers, few doctors, farmers, heroin addicts, truck drivers, moms and dads and how our generation has traveled the world and taken so many different occupations. I wish he was here to share that with us.
His grave is not far from my house and I go several times a year to sit and wonder and put out flowers. Sometimes I feel like Forest talking to Jenny but somehow it always makes me feel better. Perhaps because even now, after over 35 years, I still remember him laughing and having fun and just being young.
I miss ya Ward, sorry you had to leave the party so early, it’s been a blast and you would have loved it. I'll see ya later, save me a spot.
Kirk
Jeff Young
Tony and I were really good friends .He had a sweet red F-100 or 150 pickup. He loved dipping snuff. He was an excellent motocross rider. He loved going to the other side of Highway 9 and Imhoff, which was a field with lots of opportunity for him to catch some "air". I remember him calling me from western Oklahoma, once, when he was doing a summer harvest job. He wanted me to come pick him up and bring him home, which I did. He loved my blue GTO. He wanted it so bad that he ended up buying a green one from a guy named Chris Green. Another friend of ours, as many of you will recall, was Mike McConnell. Mike drove a red Chevelle SS 396. Neither one of them could outrun mine! LOL! It was those two who went out to the flats to race that unforgettable day.Tony lost control and rolled his car. Mike ended up passing away some time back. I think of them both often and cherish the memories I have of my time with them.